Sixth Form Bursary

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) provides Bursary Funding to Academies. The purpose of the funding is to tackle disadvantage through support to help young people meet the costs of participating in education and training post 16.

To be eligible to receive a bursary in the 2017/18 academic year (either a vulnerable student bursary or a discretionary student bursary) students must be aged over 16 and under 19 on 31/8/2016. Where a person turns 19 during their programme of study they can continue to be supported to the end of the academic year or the end of the programme of study, whichever is the sooner.

1. Vulnerable Bursaries

The EFA defines four vulnerable groups:

Young person in care; including unaccompanied asylum seeking children

Young person is a care leaver;

Young person (not their parents) in receipt of income support or Universal Credit;

Young person (not their parents) in receipt of both Employment Support Allowance (or Universal Credit) and Disability Living Allowance (or Personal Independence Payment).

The young person referred to in c) and d) above does not need to live independently of their parents but they must claim Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit in their own right.

Any young person placed with a foster carer by the Local Authority is classed as looked after and is therefore in a defined vulnerable group for the Bursary.

Where students fall into one or more of these groups, they are eligible for a vulnerable student bursary which may be up to £1,200.

2. Discretionary Bursaries

All students may apply for a discretionary bursary from the Academy but not all students will meet the eligibility criteria. Discretionary bursaries are intended for students who are in most need of financial support and the eligibility criteria reflect this. The eligibility criteria are:

Any student, who has received, is receiving or who is entitled to receive Free School Meals. This is the criteria used by most of the schools and academies within the Wolverhampton local authority.

Any student from a household where the total household income is less than £25,000. Proof of this income will be needed in the form of either; the most recent child tax credit letter OR your most recent P60 (for each parent/carer living in the household).

In September, an application pack for Bursary awards will be created for the academic year. The pack will contain details of the Scheme, how applications can be made, the criteria for receiving the award and the process to be followed should payments be withheld. Information on the Bursary Award Scheme will be made available to prospective students during sixth form information evenings. The full application pack will be distributed to students on results day where it is known they are continuing their education in the Academy Sixth Form. The packs will also be distributed to students during the first week of the Academic Year.

If false or incomplete information is submitted or if the students do not tell the Academy about any part of their household income that is relevant, the matter may be referred to the Department of Education or the Police.

Each student, at the time of application, will be required to sign and return an Attendance and Behaviour Agreement before the application is considered. Students will be advised of the outcome of their claim within 14 days by the Sixth Form Co-Ordinator, who will then begin to track Attendance, Punctuality and Behaviour.

Students will be paid their bursary on a monthly basis; this will go directly into their own personal bank account. If a student has an unauthorised absence or is persistently late for instance – they will have their bursary revoked for that particular week, this will then determine how much they will receive at the end of the month.